This Masjid caters to health needs, too

Vattepally: A local Masjid in Achireddy Nagar, Nawab Saheb Kunta, an urban slum in Old City, has opened its doors to setting up of a health centre to cater to the needs of general public regardless of caste, creed or religion, in collaboration with a city-based NGO, Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) which focuses on public health. The Community Health Centre which was started earlier this month at Masjid Ishaq in Achireddy Nagar, NS Kunta will cater to a population of roughly 1.5 lakhs from the adjoining areas of Vattepally, Chasma, Mustafanagar, Pahadi Guntal Shah Baba, Tekri Biryani Shah,Teegal Kunta, Jahanuma, Tadbun and Fatimangar.

This centre at the masjid will serve as a referral link to 30 plus, State run hospitals, where the HHF operates its services, right from Primary to tertiary Care in the city of Hyderabad. With abysmally low foot fall in government hospitals from the slums, our idea is to increase foot fall of economically backward sections in state hospitals by way of facilitation and by virtue of our large network with over 100 volunteers, we can assure of the patient of prompt, ethical and free treatment, says Mujtaba Hasan Askari, Helping Hand Foundation. Apart from providing referral link to state hospitals the centre will provide basic primary and home care including free diagnostics, vitals, performing CPR, Wound Management, Maternal Care and Physiotherapy.

It may be noted that, the Urban Slums in old city are a repository of different types of disease both non-communicable and infectious and there is an acute need to provide affordable, ethical and easily accessible health care. “Unlike a Mohalla Clinic this centre can facilitate treatment of patient suffering with cold to Cancer, we are looking at end to end health solutions, so that comprehensive health needs of the underprivileged are addressed, said Hasan Askari. At present, a lot of inhabitants of slums spend more than they they earn on health care as private clinics and diagnostics are ruling the roost at the slums. As such, the Centre at the masjid will save such vulnerable sections from exploitation. “Many patients from the slums cannot afford to travel to government hospitals and we shall provide free transport to such patients on a daily basis and guide them to the right hospital depending upon their health problem,” said its organiser.

We will try to meet any requirement that is not fulfilled at the government hospital like advanced investigations, medicines and surgeries for the poor patients, this way we will make sure patient does not spend money,” said Hassan Askari.

Preventive Health Care:

The health centre will conduct health education programmes for pregnant women, target 100 % vaccination compliance for children in that area, distribute nutrition kits to pregnant women who are malnourished. It will also conduct periodic screening for both life style diseases like diabetes, Hypertension, Cancer, CKD and other infectious diseases like Dengue & TB. HHF has recently hired Arogya Dhoots who are basically home care specialist trained by Telangana Government and will be deployed at the centre for all basic primary care services.

Maulana Faiq Khan, the Khatib of the Majid Ishaq, said, “We were keen to set up the health centre from our masjid that will be a source of Allah’s mercy to hundreds of poor people in the slums and we are glad that Allah’s house is being used for a good cause regardless of religion and faith.”